Jumaat, 4 Januari 2013

The Malaysian Insider :: Food

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The Malaysian Insider :: Food

Sagar: A taste of northern India

Posted: 04 Jan 2013 04:59 PM PST

Paneer Tikka is a nice variation on the usual Palak Paneer... delicious.

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 5 — Eating at a north Indian restaurant like Sagar, you need to be focused. After all, its menu — which lists a whopping 280 items — features dishes from Punjab to Delhi and Mumbai.

So yes, lunch for two at Sagar. Focus. We started with the Murg Malai Tikka; two skewers of boneless, tandoor-roasted chicken with a salad. A Punjab speciality, the knobs of chicken had been coated with cream and cashewnut before grilling, and were mildly spiced.

The Mah Makhani or black lentils cooked in pure ghee is a must-try.

They just dissolved in the mouth with bursts of flavour. The lovely, smoky chicken was just delicious.

The paneer — a kind of curd cheese — here is made in-house. Small cubes of this are usually found in mashed spinach and served as Palak Paneer.

This time we decided to try a different paneer dish — Paneer Tikka. Squares of paneer are bathed in a creamy tandoor marinade (usually made with yoghurt and spices) and barbecued together with onions, tomatoes and green pepper slices. The skin cheese stayed soft with the marinade, and its texture reminded me of tofu, being soft and smooth. The vegetables gave a flavourful lift to the cheese.

We also had Mah Makhani which is whole black lentils cooked with pure ghee and tomatoes and onions over a slow fire. Apparently, this is the most popular dhal dish for the Punjabis. There are slivers of ginger in this delicious dish with the almost melted lentils contributing to its creaminess. It was so good eating this with naan.

We had a basket of garlic, coriander and plain naans. The breads were thin and crispy, and did not turn tough and chewy when cold. I especially liked the Dhania naan which is generously sprinkled with fresh coriander leaves on top.

Garlic and Dhania Naan... the latter has coriander leaves.

I dipped the garlic naan in the Mehti Machli, the tangy curry fish cooked with tomatoes, onions, spices, fenugreek, cashewnut and cream, and it was yummy. There were thick pieces of dory fillets in the aromatic curry but I would have much preferred it with another fish such as red snapper or black pomfret.

Murg Makhanwala is a Sagar signature dish. It's boneless chicken in a tomato, butter and cream sauce. Its richness was tempered by the tartness of tomatoes, giving the whole dish a lovely balance of flavours.

The Green Peas Pulao is yummy with any of the curry dishes.

Besides naan, we also ate both these dishes with some Green Peas Pulao; light, fluffy basmati rice cooked with spices and peas.

I also liked the Aloo Gobi — cauliflower cooked with potatoes, tomatoes, chilli, ginger and other spices, and garnished with fresh ginger.

Lunch was complete with a perfectly brewed Masala Tea.

The prices: Aloo Gobi is RM17, Mah Makhani RM18, the naans are RM5 to RM7 each, Mehti Machli RM26, Paneer Tikka RM22, Murg Malai Tikka RM28, Green Peas Pulao RM12, and the Murg Makhanwala RM28.

Sagar also serves a buffet lunch daily at RM35.

Sagar in Bangsar is situated in a bungalow in Lorong Maarof and is sumptuously furnished. It is located at 16 Lorong Maarof, Bangsar, 59000 Kuala Lumpur (Tel: 03-2284-2532).

You can also find Sagar restaurants at the Palace of the Golden Horses, Sunway Resort, Semua House, Kuala Lumpur, Bayview Beach Resort in Penang and in Langkawi.

Thousands of Mexicans devour enormous king cake

Posted: 04 Jan 2013 02:28 AM PST

People gather to get a piece of the traditional "Rosca de Reyes" (Mexican Epiphany Bread) --a large ring-shaped bread roll baked for Epiphany-- in Mexico City, on January 3, 2012. — AFP-Relaxnews pic

MEXICO CITY, Jan 4 — Tens of thousands of Mexicans wolfed down a 1.9-kilometer long king cake yesterday, polishing it off in less than half-an-hour during the traditional feast in downtown Mexico City.

The Epiphany pastry weighed almost 9.4 tonnes and was made with 4.9 tonnes of flour, 2.8 tonnes of butter, one tonne of sugar and marmalade, hundreds of kilos of candied fruits and more than 43,000 eggs, the city government said.

Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera was among the first people to take a bite from the "Rosca de Reyes," which was placed along tables in the historic Zocalo Plaza. Some 200,000 pieces were distributed.

Mexican families eat the bread in the run-up to the Epiphany on January 6, the day Christians believe the Three Wise Men brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh for the baby Jesus.

A baby Jesus figurine is hidden in the cake and the person who finds it must make tamales - a corn dumpling - on February 2, the Day of the Candles, for those who shared the bread. — AFP-Relaxnews

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The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

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The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

Real shift focus from Mourinho to players

Posted: 04 Jan 2013 06:57 AM PST

Real Madrid seems to be moving away from the long-standing policy of only having Jose Mourinho or his assistant Aitor Karanka answering questions in set-piece news conferences. — AFP pic

MADRID, Jan 4 — Real Madrid's players have begun giving regular news conferences again in a sign the club is seeking to improve its relations with the media and may want less attention focused on controversial coach Jose Mourinho.

Captain and goalkeeper Iker Casillas, forward Cristiano Ronaldo and defenders Sergio Ramos and Alvaro Arbeloa all spoke to reporters after training this week, prompting the headline "Is the iron curtain falling?" in Marca sports daily today.

It is a shift away from the long-standing policy of only having Mourinho or his assistant Aitor Karanka answering questions in set-piece news conferences, apart from those at least one player is obliged to give the day before Champions League matches.

The lack of player news conferences contrasted sharply with their arch rivals Barcelona, who make team members available after nearly every training session.

Real president Florentino Perez is seen as the architect of the change after he told journalists at last month's Christmas lunch that the club's media relations needed improvement.

The construction magnate, who is up for re-election later this year, may also be concerned about the impact Mourinho's combative style is having on the club's image and is seeking to dilute his influence.

Marketing experts told Reuters last month the Portuguese's repeated accusations of refereeing bias and several episodes of unsporting behaviour had been damaging to Real's traditional image of chivalry and being 'the club for all'.

ANGRY REACTION

Arbeloa played down the importance of the news conferences today, saying that he believed the Real fans knew the opinions of the players.

"We have a lot of matches during the year and I think that in the mixed zones almost every day we have stopped to talk, if not one player then another," the Spain international said.

"I believe that the Real fans know what their players think," he added.

"The news conferences have been decisions taken by the club and I imagine with the agreement of the coach. We are delighted to come out here and answer your questions."

A sign of how sensitive Real are about the issue was their angry reaction to a newspaper report this week that said it had commissioned a survey of members that included the question "do you think the coach's attitude is damaging to the club?"

According to the report in As sports daily, members were also asked who should replace Mourinho if he left and were given a list of alternatives that included Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez, Arsenal's Arsene Wenger, Paris St Germain coach Carlo Ancelotti and Germany's Joachim Loew.

"Real Madrid CF strongly denies having requested any survey of the opinions of the club's members about the coach or any member of the squad, or of any possible names of coaches or players who might join the club," Real said in a statement on their website yesterday.

"Furthermore, it is most unlikely that any company would have access to the contact details that would be necessary to carry out a survey of the club's members, and so any sample would not be representative," the statement added.

Things have not been going smoothly for Mourinho and his side on the pitch in recent weeks and they are third in La Liga after an erratic start to their title defence.

With 17 matches played, they are seven points behind second-placed Atletico Madrid and 16 adrift of unbeaten leaders Barcelona ahead of Sunday's game at home to Real Sociedad. — Reuters

Mancini plays down latest clash with Balotelli

Posted: 04 Jan 2013 05:11 AM PST

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini Mancini played down the training ground incident with Mario Balotelli today, saying reaction to it had been overblown. — AFP pic

LONDON, Jan 4 — Despite photographs of Roberto Mancini's latest clash with Mario Balotelli featuring on the front pages of Britain's tabloid newspapers today, the Manchester City manager does not believe the relationship between the two Italians is at breaking point.

Mancini was labelled "Madcini" in The Sun next to a photo of him grappling with Balotelli in training yesterday while most papers reached the conclusion that Balotelli's troubled time at the English champions was up.

Yet Mancini played down the training ground incident today, saying reaction to it had been overblown.

"Mario made a tackle on his teammate that I would prefer to see in a game and not against a teammate," Mancini told reporters. "I asked him to leave the pitch — he said no so I moved him off.

"That's all that happened and it was nothing more than that."

Last month Balotelli withdrew his appeal against disciplinary action taken against him by the Premier League champions, accepting a fine of two weeks' wages for a series of well-documented misdemeanours on and off the pitch last season.

However, harmony still appears to be in short supply with Mancini again being asked whether the Italy international still has a future at the club.

"Nothing has changed between Mario and me and my thoughts have not changed about him and these things happen from time to time," he said.

"Will Mario have more chances? I will give him 100 chances as long as I can see him trying to improve and working hard for this football club." — Reuters

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The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

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The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

Steve Jobs bio film set for April release

Posted: 04 Jan 2013 02:32 AM PST

Still from 'jOBS' with Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs. — AFP-Relaxnews pic

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 4 — The first film based on the life of legendary Apple co-founder Steve Jobs will be released in April, according to a distribution deal for "jOBS" announced on yesterday.

The "biopic" starring Ashton Kutcher as Jobs, who died in 2011, will premier later this month on the closing night of the Sundance Film Festival, according to independent distributor Open Road Films.

Written by Matthew Whitely and directed by Joshua Michael Stern, "jOBS" focuses on the Apple co-founder's life from 1971 through 2000.

A deal was announced for the film to be distributed in North America by Open Road, which is owned by major cinema chains AMC Entertainment and Regal Entertainment.

"jOBS is certain to resonate with audiences and we are thrilled to partner with Five Star Films to bring this film to theaters," said Open Road chief executive Tom Ortenberg.

Sony Pictures is backing a its own Jobs film based on the biography of the Apple co-founder's life written by Walter Isaacson.

The screenplay is being written by Oscar winner Aaron Sorkin, whose works include "The Social Network," a play on the birth of Facebook. — AFP-Relaxnews

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is being wooed for ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’

Posted: 04 Jan 2013 01:30 AM PST

Joseph Gordon-Levitt. — AFP-Relaxnews pic

LOS ANGELES, Jan 4 — According to Deadline.com, Marvel Studios has added Joseph Gordon-Levitt to its list of potential leads for "Guardians of the Galaxy."

Gordon-Levitt, who played a key role in the last "Batman" film, is now in the running for the feature film set for release in 2014. Jim Sturgess ("Cloud Atlas") and Zachary Levi ("Chuck"), who were seen as favorites at the end of December, are also in the running. And as he revealed via his Twitter account @mrosenbaum711, so is former "Smallville" actor Michael Rosenbaum.

"Guardians of the Galaxy," which will be directed by James Gunn ("Super"), will allow the public to discover an intergalactic team of superheroes who have come from the future and from another dimension. The team is led by the charismatic Peter Quill, known as Star-Lord, who is half-human and half-extraterrestrial.

The film will introduce the characters before "The Avengers 2," set for release in 2015. Following the success of Summer, all or part of the Guardians of the Galaxy cast should be joining Iron Man's team and their consorts to defeat the Titan from space, Thanos. — AFP-Relaxnews

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The Malaysian Insider :: Breaking Views

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The Malaysian Insider :: Breaking Views

Fox News reports that yoga makes kids wussy, bloggers respond

Posted: 04 Jan 2013 07:56 AM PST

Bloggers respond to Fox News' message that yoga for kids is part of the "wussification of America." — AFP pic

NEW YORK, Jan 4 — US blogs were abuzz today after US-based Fox News reported on the "wussification of America," thanks to more kids doing yoga.

ABC News reported yesterday that yoga may be the "fastest-growing sport in America." In answer to that, Fox trotted out parenting expert Larry Winget, author of a book called "Your Kids Are Your Own Fault," to explain that "if it doesn't have a ball, it's not a sport."

"Something tells me he's never tried arm balances, or a class so hard you have to curl up into child's pose out of exhaustion and embarrassment at your inferior form," writes blog Blisstree. "(And for that matter, I'd argue that 'singular' sports like running, swimming, and track can all teach valuable lessons about winning and losing, despite the fact that there's no score, and no ball.)"

"No...Fox News talked with a 'motivational speaker' Larry Wingnut/Winget, who made reference to his upcoming book 'Grow a Pair'. (No, I am not making that up)," writes Daily Kos. "He feels yoga can't be a sport if there is no ball an [sic] or nobody 'is keeping score.'" The site adds: "Yes, the stupid is thick."

"Oh, wait. Nevermind other popular ball-less sports like track and field, gymnastics, swimming, diving, wrestling, equestrian and any kind of racing," writes YogaDork. "Again, moot."

"In any case, not being a wuss might be overrated," adds Yoga in the Dragon's Den. "What's so bad about being a wuss, anyway?" — AFP/Relaxnews

PPP, two NGOs want cops to probe ‘Rocket Style’ video

Posted: 04 Jan 2013 07:47 AM PST

People watch the screening of the DAP music video during its launch event in Kuala Lumpur January 1, 2013. — Picture by Choo Choy May

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 4 — The People's Progressive Party (PPP) and two non-governmental organisations (NGOs) today lodged a police report against DAP for releasing a video clip which tarnishes the image of the country leaders.

The NGOs — Ikatan Rakyat Insan Muslim Malaysia (IRIM) and the Malaysian Consumers Development Board (LPPM) — and PPP alleged that the video clip produced by the opposition parties featured several cartoon animations that resembled Malaysian leaders.

IRIM president Amir Amsaa Alla Pitchay said the video clip, which was uploaded by DAP on YouTube, insulted the leaders through comic characters doing the Gangnam Style dance.

"This is an insolent act which the people cannot accept and also an act which reflects their (opposition) arrogance," he told reporters after lodging a report at the Dang Wangi Police Headquarters here.

He said action should be taken against those responsible for producing the video clip. — Bernama

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The Malaysian Insider :: Features

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The Malaysian Insider :: Features

Fox News reports that yoga makes kids wussy, bloggers respond

Posted: 04 Jan 2013 07:56 AM PST

Bloggers respond to Fox News' message that yoga for kids is part of the "wussification of America." — AFP pic

NEW YORK, Jan 4 — US blogs were abuzz today after US-based Fox News reported on the "wussification of America," thanks to more kids doing yoga.

"Oh, wait. Nevermind other popular ball-less sports like track and field, gymnastics, swimming, diving, wrestling, equestrian and any kind of racing," writes YogaDork. "Again, moot."

"In any case, not being a wuss might be overrated," adds Yoga in the Dragon's Den. "What's so bad about being a wuss, anyway?" — AFP/Relaxnews

Elvis play generates controversy at Utah high school

Posted: 04 Jan 2013 07:16 AM PST

SALT LAKE CITY, Jan 4 — Elvis Presley, whose gyrating hips caused an uproar in the 1950s, has become the centre of a controversy at a Utah high school where a parent complaint prompted officials to revise a musical featuring the music of the late "king of rock 'n' roll."

A high school play, "All Shook Up" featuring the music of Elvis Presley has been deemed by parents to contain sexually suggestive scenes. — AFP pic

The Jordan School District in a Salt Lake City suburb said yesterday the reworked production of "All Shook Up" at Herriman High School allowed it to avoid cancelling the show, as it had announced on Wednesday it was doing.

A parent complained about a song in the play, which appeared on Broadway in 2005, and about scenes the parent contended were too sexually suggestive, said Steven Dunham, a spokesman for the school district. Dunham said he did not know the name of the song in question.

School officials first thought the copyright on the musical, by playwright Joe DiPietro, would prevent them from making changes, which is why they cancelled it, Dunham said. School officials have since worked it out with the publisher of the musical.

"They agreed to allow us to make the changes necessary to meet community standards," he said. "We said, 'Great, this is what we wanted all along.'"

A cross-dressing element in the musical will remain in the production to be staged next month at Herriman High School, which is about 20 miles (32km) south of Salt Lake City.

"All Shook Up" features the music of Presley and a story based on William Shakespeare's play "Twelfth Night."

Presley, who died in 1977 after a career as one of America's biggest music stars, was a controversial figure when he first appeared on national television in 1956 and upset critics with the wild gyrations of his hips.

He earned the nickname "Elvis the pelvis" by exciting young fans and raising eyebrows among their parents with his suggestive dance moves. — Reuters

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The Malaysian Insider :: Books

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The Malaysian Insider :: Books

Master Cleanse diet guru pens second book

Posted: 04 Jan 2013 07:37 AM PST

US singer Beyonce helped the Master Cleanse rise to popularity when she followed the diet for her role in "Dream Girls." — AFP pic

LOS ANGELES, Jan 4 — If you haven't tried the Master Cleanse, chances are you've heard of it. Celebrities such as Beyoncé, Jared Leto, and Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher (who tweeted about it) have all played a part in bringing the lemonade diet to the masses. And now the man behind the madness, Peter Glickman, appalled by the deluge of misinformation on the web about the detox, has published a new guide to getting it right.

The diet — both for weight loss and "detoxing" — involves sustaining oneself on nothing more than lemon juice, cayenne pepper, maple syrup, and water for 10 consecutive days — in addition to laxative teas and a salt-water flush in the mornings. Expect cravings, fatigue, and irritability, and a host of other complaints, although Glickman says that only means the cleanse is working, and you should feel better the next day.

Since the diet's surge in popularity, Glickman says that misinformation on the diet has flooded the web, with media reports misquoting the recipe or suggesting variations, which he says won't produce the same results. For those ready to take on this exercise in starvation, his new book, "The Master Cleanse Coach," aims to answer your questions and clear the air about what you can and can't do while on the diet. The book is available now (also on Kindle) in the US.

The Master Cleanse has been a hot fad since 2006, and Glickman says his iPhone and Android apps have been purchased 7,000 times in 52 countries. His first book, 2004's "Lose Weight, Have More Energy & Be Happier in 10 Days," has seen three editions and has been translated into eight languages. Glickman, both a Scientologist and an entrepreneur, repackaged a 1940s diet dubbed the Master Cleanse, which was also written about by Stanley Burroughs in 1976 — and Glickman is a purist to the original formula.

For extra motivation, Glickman is currently hosting his 9th Annual Free January Group Master Cleanse at his website. — AFP/Relaxnews

Costa Book Awards announce category winners

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 04:25 PM PST

LONDON, Jan 4 — Hilary Mantel, Francesca Segal, and husband-and-wife team Mary and Bryan Talbot are among the winners of the 2012 Costa Book Awards.

The awards, previously known as the Whitbread Book Awards in reference to Costa's conglomerate owner, focus on the output of writers based in the UK and Ireland, and are intended to recognise "some of the most outstanding and enjoyable books of the last year," with each award decided upon by a panel of three.

Mantel was announced winner of the Novel category for "Bring Up the Bodies," from a shortlist of four that included "Life! Death! Prizes!" by Stephen May, "The Heart That Broke In" by James Meek, and "Days of the Bagnold Summer" by Joff Winterhart.

Mantel's Reformation-era sequel to "Wolf Hall" won the Man Booker Prize in October 2012, with the author herself being pronounced UK Author of the Year at the National Book Awards in December.

Segal won the First Novel Award for "The Innocents"; also commended by their presence on the shortlist were "The Notable Brain of Maximilian Ponder" by JW Ironmonger, Jess Richards' "Snake Ropes," and "The Bellwether Revivals," which came from Benjamin Wood.

Just as "The Innocents" references Edith Wharton's 1920 novel "The Age of Innocence," Mary and Bryan Talbot's biographical graphic novel "Dotter of her Father's Eyes" examines the influence of James Joyce in two different settings; Kathleen Jamie's poetry collection "The Overhaul" succeeds previous winner "The Bees" by Carol Ann Duffy.

In the Children's section, "Maggot Moon" by Sally Gardner took top honours, against a shortlist that featured "The Seeing," "What's Up with Jody Barton?" and "A Boy and a Bear in a Boat."

The five category winners, each of whom receive a £5,000 (RM25,000) prize, now go forward for the overall Book of the Year award, worth £30,000 and to be announced on January 29. — AFP-Relaxnews

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The Malaysian Insider :: Bahasa

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The Malaysian Insider :: Bahasa

Selangor haramkan pembangunan tanah Boustead di Bukit Raja

Posted: 04 Jan 2013 02:13 AM PST

Khalid bertegas bahawa kerajaan Selangor tidak meluluskan permohonan untuk pembangunan tanah di Bukit Raja, Klang.

KUALA LUMPUR, 4 Jan — Kerajaan Selangor mengharamkan sebarang pembangunan di tanah yang dijual oleh syarikat Datuk Seri Raja Ropiaah Abdullah kepada Boustead Holdings Bhd (BHB) di Bukit Raja.

"Kerajaan Selangor tidak akan meluluskan sebarang permohonan untuk pembangunan tanah yang diserahkan oleh Suruhanjaya Tanah Persekutuan di kawasan perindustrian Bukit Raja, Klang," kata Menteri Besar Selangor Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim dalam kenyataannya hari ini.

"Jika ada pembangunan di kawasan ini, ia akan dianggap dilakukan tanpa pengetahuan kerajaan negeri, dan kerajaan negeri tidak mengiktirafnya," tambahnya lagi.

Khalid menegaskan kerajaan negeri hanya membenarkan pembinaan kem latihan tentera di tanah Bukit Raja, dan berkata "perkara itu hanya boleh dilakukan selepas mendapat kebenaran dari Exco Selangor dan Majlis Tindakan Ekonomi Selangor (MTES)."

Anak syarikat BHB membeli 80 peratus saham dalam syarikat peniaga permaidani Deepak Jaikishan, Astacanggih Sdn Bhd, sebanyak RM30 juta dan RM130 juta merupakan tanah dari syarikat Raja Ropiaah, Awan Megah Sdn Bhd minggu lepas. BHB dimiliki oleh tabung pelaburan kerajaan Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera (LTAT).

Deepak pada Rabu lalu mengatakan beliau mendapat "wang yang sedikit" dari perjanjian tanah tersebut, manakala Raja Ropiaah mendapat bahagian yang banyak.

Beliau menyaman Raja Ropiaah untuk tanah tersebut tahun lalu, tetapi telah menggugurkan saman tersebut.

Tidak diketahui apa yang berlaku kepada projek pembinaan pusat pengajian pertahanan yang sepatutnya dibina oleh syarikat Raja Ropiaah dalam pertukaran tanah di Bukit Raja, Selangor dan RM27 juta.

Majlis pecah tanah Pusat Pengajian Pertahanan Nasional (Puspahanas) dilakukan pada 21 November, 2008 tetapi projek tersebut masih kekal misteri, sehingga diketahui ia berada di tempat letak kereta di Kementerian Kesihatan dan Pendidikan Tinggi di Presint 1 di Putrajaya.

Timbalan Menteri Pertahanan Datuk Dr Abdul Latif Ahmad semalam berkata beliau tidak mempunyai maklumat tentang projek yang dirancang sejak 1971.

Muhyiddin dakwa PAS memecah-belah umat Islam Malaysia dengan ‘Amanat Hadi’

Posted: 04 Jan 2013 02:05 AM PST

Muhyiddin berkata fatwa yang dibawa bersama Amanat Hadi mempunyai unsur bertentangan dengan prinsip Islam.

CHERAS, 4 Jan — Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin menuduh PAS cuba memecah- belahkan umat Islam di negara ini menggunakan agama sambil mendakwa ia bertujuan mewujudkan konflik bagi meraih sokongan kepada parti Islam tersebut.

Timbalan presiden Umno itu berkata masyarakat Melayu-Islam yang terdiri daripada 60 peratus kini berpecah kepada beberapa puak ekoran "fatwa sesat" dikeluarkan oleh PAS yang biasanya membawa mesej anti-Barisan Nasional (BN).

Dengan memanggilnya "penyelewengan", Muhyiddin berkata fatwa yang dibawa ini jelas mempunyai unsur bertentangan dengan prinsip Islam yang menggalakkan perpaduan.

Beliau menambah dengan memberikan contoh ke atas perdebatan berterusan terhadap ucapan presiden PAS Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang pada 1981 yang menyeru kepada kehancuran parti pemerintah Umno dan melabel ahli parti tersebut sebagai kafir.

"Terdapat pihak yang memecahkan kita dengan mengeluarkan banyak jenis fatwa yang bertujuan untuk menyemai kebencian dan mewujudkan konflik antara kita," kata beliau setelah menunaikan solat Jumaat di Masjid Al-Mukhsin sini hari ini.

"Kita tahu tentang itu. Tersebar luas di media ... ia mewujudkan banyak pecahan di kalangan kita," kata Muhyiddin.

"Amanat Haji Hadi" telah mengundang banyak kritikan dan bantahan daripada banyak pengkritik terutamanya parti lawan Umno termasuklah bekas ahli PAS yang menggesa Abdul Hadi menarik balik kata-katanya tersebut demi perpaduan masyarakat Melayu dan Islam.

Namun, Abdul Hadi menolak tuduhan yang mengatakan beliau berdiam diri kerana takut dan hanya akan menyatakan pendiriannya jika diberi peluang untuk ke udara di kaca televisyen.

Ketua Pembangkang Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim turut mempertahankan rakannya tersebut dengan menuduh perkara tersebut sengaja diperbesarkan demi kepentingan politik serta mengatakan musuh mereka cuba mengulang isu lapuk tersebut untuk memburukkan imej pasti Islam tersebut.

"Ingatlah ucapan tersebut dibuat pada tahun 1981," kata Anwar kepada media semalam.

"Beliau harus dibenarkan atau diberi ruang untuk menjelaskan pendiriannya. Kita harus mendengar penjelasan beliau terlebih dahulu, "tambah pemimpin PKR tersebut.

Muhyiddin walaubagaimanapun tetap berkeras bahawa "Amanat Hadi" adalah terang-terangan bertujuan menyemai kebencian terhadap parti pemerintah dan menggesa orang pengundi Melayu-Islam tidak terpengaruh dengan cubaan pembangkang menggunakan agama untuk menarik sokongan.

Beliau menggesa pengundi majoriti dalam negara ini untuk menolak pembangkang yang berniat memecah-belah dan berkata pengundi mesti terus menyokong pentadbiran Najib jika mereka mahu Malaysia menikmati kejayaan yang berterusan.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

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The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

Television news sucks!

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 04:36 PM PST

JAN 4 — Yes, it sucks big time and those involved in it have put themselves too high on a pedestal to realise this.

Newspapers globally are already in a crisis (except for The Star, whose circulation is mysteriously increasing!).

Television news seems to have the potential of heading the same way too and is slowly losing viewers, if it does not heed my all-important advice.

I wonder if anyone agrees with me that watching news on television has really been uninspiring these last few years? I don't think I have to wonder.

To be honest, I've actually stopped watching television news altogether. I get my news fix almost solely from online sources now and I know so many people who do the same.

I feel very strongly that television news should just stop trying to compete in breaking news. Just outright cease and desist.

The Internet has proven to be king in this area and its immediacy means that no other traditional media can come close to it.

Television news needs to change, adapt and evolve if it wants to continue to be relevant and the best way to do this is to not report the news as it has always done for decades.

Instead, television news should explain the news. Do something fresh and disrupt the industry rather than try and compete in an area you know it is impossible to win.

What's the point of reporting "live" on what happened from a particular location several hours after something has happened?

And worse yet, after the happening has been tweeted and retweeted a thousand times over by people who were actually there when it happened?

What makes more sense is for television news to gather experts or relevant people involved and discuss it so that the news can be easily digested and understood by viewers.

And here's another thought. Those same viewers, and also those who had tweeted and retweeted the story, can play an important role in this new reincarnation of television news.

And here, again, television needs to realise that they cannot beat the immediate interactivity of the Internet. So they need to inject some added value to it.

Television news needs to stop looking at user-generated content as a source of limitless content. Instead, it should look at it as a legit voxpop or eyewitness source of information.

And the added value that television news can put in to it is to moderate, filter and fact check this content that is coming from the public.

Then it should put it in perspective, analyse it and debate it so that, aside from having an interactive news programme, it presents something of value to the viewers.

By doing so, television news can achieve a one-up on the Internet because it actually helps to build credibility for amateur user-generated content and also legitimises it.

Television has never had the benefit of being able to give audiences ample time to understand its information that it presents. This is due to the constraints of time.

For example, one news programme only has a limited 30 or 60 minutes, and that means a single news story is roughly limited to two or three minutes.

The Internet has no such constraints and and people can slowly browse around to complete their information consumption.

But that doesn't mean that television news is at a disadvantage. At the end of the day, television needs to reflect and look back at what it does best.

And what it does best is to convey information to the viewers in the simplest form, in a brief amount of time, and in the flashiest way possible.

Television needs to move ahead with the times. It's no longer sufficient to have a series of two to three-minute packages of reporting in a scheduled line-up anymore.

So that's why I believe that the base of how television news can move forward is to summarise and explain all the news and information out there for their viewers.

It's time for television news to change if it wants to survive and not go the way of the newspaper. And to do so, the revolution definitely has to be televised.

* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.

Malaysia Boleh? Not anymore

Posted: 03 Jan 2013 04:33 PM PST

JAN 4 — It is an open secret that we are still losing the best and brightest overseas.

Ask any of our medical, law, engineering students beyond our borders and very few have the desire to return.

Low patriotism? Perhaps. Poor remunerations — definitely.

In their place we have doctors who were trained in Indonesia, Ukraine, Russia and the latest to join the fray — teachers imported from India.

It would seem that we are no more capable of producing professionals — sorry, I mean good professionals — any more than we are capable of producing security guards, factory workers, domestic helpers, con artists, etc. We are outsourcing every single profession we can to Third World countries.

The only profession we are never short of, are politicians — if you call that a profession.

I can see a melting pot of cultures from Nepal, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Iran, Nigeria coming together demanding for citizenship and equal rights in this 1 Malaysia of ours in the near future, while we current Malaysians either scramble to find opportunities overseas or fight to preserve what ever is left for us in this small nation.

Scary when you think about what we are actually capable of doing as a nation, besides self-destruction that is.

I still remember all my teachers in primary and secondary schools. I cannot thank God enough for each and every one of them. If only they are still around to knock some sense into the current education system as they did with me.

Those who made me dream algebra, photosynthesis and the likes in English at night.

Other professionals aside, Malaysia churns out thousands of teachers annually, and have allocated about RM500 million training them for 2013. But after millions and millions of ringgit spent on training them in the past, how sure are we that the 2013 batch will be better?

Our tertiary centres are churning out graduates who are not employable by current industry standards, across the board. From those with industrial, nursing and now teaching backgrounds. The only avenue for these unemployable graduates is government posts, which are now brimming with little Napoleons surviving on tax payers' contributions.

The credit should be given to the government who must realise this slide — ever mindful of the many, many world class, world renowned, world standard, 4- and 5-star universities and colleges that mushroomed on our shores when hiring American teachers, and soon teachers from India to teach our young Malaysians English.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, I suppose.

But here is my take on the current issue — firstly why don't we look within our borders? We have ample of experienced teachers who are retired and I am sure, who will be more than willing to help out should we give them the same remuneration we are currently giving the Americans. Put them in teaching colleges to train our current crop of English teachers. Bring back the good old days where Malaysians spoke impeccable English instead of the current language we pass off as one.

Secondly, please bring back PPSMI. With PPSIMI in place, the teachers will be forced to teach and communicate in English beyond the language lessons. It puts pressure on the schools, teachers, administrators and the ministry to get their act together rather than having only one subject in English every day. Students will be forced to learn English beyond a few sessions every day and necessitating them to improve their grasp of the language if they really want to do well in other subjects.

Thirdly, peg our syllabus and examination format to one that has been proven to produce results. The UK syllabus naturally comes to mind, but even if the government is fixated on the US, or India why not? Adopt one that works until we learn to formulate one that we can be proud of. Send the papers overseas for marking if necessary.

Fourthly, and if the government insists on marking the exam papers, they need to be transparent about the awarded grades. We would like to know how the answer papers were marked, and the actual marks for every grades given.

Malaysians also should know what are the passing marks for each subject. Too many As and passes were given out which do not reflect the real education standards in this country. For instance TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) revealed in 2011 that 33 per cent of our students didn't know what CO₂means even when 92 per cent passed the SPM Science paper.

Lastly, and most importantly, leave politics out of education. Do not try to make a Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia out of our education system. Be charitable with tuition fees, equipments, food in canteens but never with grades. This undermines every effort to better the education system and is irresponsible beyond repair.

Shame on our politicians for congratulating each other for meeting their KPIs and for the increase in the number of high performing schools this year. One even said that our education system is better than those of the Western world.

While more students from Ghana and Kazakhstan know what CO₂means than our very own students according to the same TIMSS report.

There must never be a compromise on the quality of education in this country. Edward Everett said, "Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army."

At the moment of writing, we have neither.

* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Jumaat, 4 Januari 2013